Aftermarket front shocks

[The norm]

Howdy fellas,  I'm toying with the idea of finally getting a good set of front shocks. As I get older I seem to feel the bumps and ruts for days after riding lol. I currently have a set of tuned 450R fronts and a pimped out oem rear shock. The rear was built by a local suspension legend and is great.
My front end set up is +3+1 standard travel A-Arms. I want to try to find a front set of shocks for under $2,000. These will be only used on a dune R and must be plush.
So my question to you fellas is, what are some of the best shocks for under 2k? Do you have any personal experience with them? If so please give me your opinion.
I know I can call a suspension company and ask,  but I want the end users opinion first.
Thanks Loren

[Hawaiiysr]

Im happy with my peps. I brought a set with me the 1st time I came out to visit you all. for $2k you can surely buy a very good set of shocks. I have yet to hear anything bad about Axis. Consider a brand that a local suspension guy can work on also. Sending shocks out for rebuilds and valving gets old real fast

[The norm]

My local suspension guru said he can work on any shock as long as he can get parts. So no worries in that area. One other question I have is piggybacking or remote reservoirs? Which is better? I see PEP on Ebay from 1k-2k and I am very sure any model of PEP is better than what I have.
Loren

[atvmxr]

id buy some used shocks and get them redone by someone that really knows 250rs.   I would recommend SF, but he had a stroke or something I dont know.  Just from FB saw he was in hospital then posting vids of him barely getting around the house, though much improved on each successive video posted. 

im under the impression when you buy new from PEP, Elka, or whomever, its just a generic build.  A good shock guy can better set up the valving, spring pre loads, and so forth. 

[croat1]

Good description of PEP shocks

http://www.sfracingonline.com/pep/4537027440

[havinnoj]

Hey Loren - personally if you're spending that much coin, I'd recommend getting LT front A-Arms to have more shock length.  Food for thought. 

I will watch FB and send you anything that pops up that you might like.  You'll want the right length eye-to-eye but also the shaft length needs to be correct (can change after the fact if you buy used, but can be cost prohibitive).

Personally I would run Axis or PB1's from PEP (Andy Maul put a lot of good videos & writeups on this forum & YouTube about different shocks and a lot of this resonates with these 2 models).  Other PEP's were good (are good) but used a lot of Works parts.  Air shocks (Fox Evol & Axis Pro Air) intrigue me a lot but I do not have much direct experience with them.  But again it comes down to them being setup for you. 

[The norm]

I'm open to a LT setup, but I would have to definitely get used shocks to offset the cost of the arms.

[Hawaiiysr]

Careful on buying used shocks. Many times the cost of rebuild and revalve can surpass or come very near to the cost of new. Ive been screwed on what I thought was a great deal. I got the quote for rebuild and revalve and was unfortunately.... Shocked 🤣😭

[The norm]

That is shocking Josh!

[broken1]

From my understanding the only real benefit to remote resi's is they run a little cooler & offer a little more consistent performance because of lower operating temps but it really only makes a difference when your hammering out laps on a track & even than it would be hard to notice unless you were a seasoned pro. I have old Works shocks on my R & I've always loved the rear but the fronts leave much to be desired.

[Action69]

Right now the R shop has a set of axis you can rebuild you may need to shorten them.he wants $400 with remote rezi.These shocks were previously mine they were bought to be rebuilt,I sold them and he recently bought a lot of that guys parts.You could be all in with the rebuild around $700

[Action69]

You’ll also need new upper spacers for the top mount,they run $70 from Penske/axis

[desertR]

Remote resiviours allow for a rubber piece to be used as a separator to keep the oil/gas from air-rating under heavy use. they use nitrogen because it's more stable then air when heated. Better for MX track use where they heat up during a moto.
desertR

[2ndmoto]

That's crazy money for a play setup. Going from stock to Works (standard frame +2+1 lonestar) was a bigger difference than going from Works to Axis (roll narrow frame +4+1). I don't remember what works is calling themselves these days, but you can't beat them for the price.

I will say suspension upgrades make the riding experience so much more enjoyable.

[Michael88R]

Talk to Jed at roll design.  They order elkas built to Doug Roll’s specs.  New generation elkas are aluminum bodies.  Lighter than air shocks depending on the springs.  Jed will Usually give a rider discount that is a very significant savings.